A mother-of-five who attempted to stop her son from running away by “trapping” him with her car, and broke his arm, has been fined $500.

Ngatono Tangira appeared in the Whakatāne District Court for sentence on a charge of careless driving causing injury.

Lawyer Leonard Hemi described the incident as an “error of judgment” with no intention to cause harm to the child.

Tangira was travelling at “crawling speed” at the time, on the driveway, and thought it was a safe way of ensuring the boy did not run off.

Hemi said it was the unexpected reaction of the boy that put him in harm’s way, although, or course, Tangira contributed to that by putting the vehicle into play.

He said Tangira was a caring, compassionate mother who made a poor decision.

Although the police summary of facts said the boy was pinned by his arm between the front of the vehicle and the fence, Hemi and the defendant said this was not what happened.

The fleeing boy had jumped around the van, gone across the bonnet and his arm had become caught in the tyre area and broke.

Tangira said she had been scared he was going to run away. By using the car to trap him, she expected him to stay where he was.

But with an 11-year-old boy, anything could happen, said Judge Louis Bidois – “that’s the danger”.

“Even if he had run away, he’s got to come home eventually.

“It is pathetic to use a vehicle to try and trap your son.”

He told Tangira that what she did was stupid and dangerous, which she agreed.

“An 11-year-old could respond in any way,” Judge Bidois said.

“If his body had been caught between you and the house or the fence, he could have been run over and killed – but he wasn’t; you broke his arm and that’s a serious injury.

A Section 81 application was granted, with agreement of police, resulting in no driving disqualification.

Biting assault

Late night barking led to a Kawerau woman losing her cool and asaulting her neighbour.

When her neighbour’s dog was barking just after midnight, Tamara Kerepa went outside and verbally threatened her, telling her she was going to “smash” her, or words to that effect.

She entered the property, swung at the woman but missed, then grabbed her head and took her to the ground.

“She ended up on top of you, and you ended up biting her,” Judge Bidois said.

At the time, Kerepa was said to have been in a dark place.

Lawyer Jonathan Kay described the assault as “short-lived and spontaneous” and said Kerepa had since apologised to her neighbour.

Judge Bidois said biting was a “nasty” way of assaulting someone.

“It was late at night and the lady had been doing nothing.”

On the charges of assault with intent to injure and speaking threateningly, he sentenced Kerepa to three months’ community detention, 12 months’ supervision and ordered $300 emotional harm reparation.

Guilty pleas to intimate recording

A 60-year-old Whakatāne man has pleaded guilty to six charges related to the intimate recording of others without their knowledge.

The man, who has interim name suppression, is charged with making an intimate recording of another person between March 2023 and March 2025.

He is also charged with five counts of possessing an intimate recording.

He was remanded to September 17 for sentence with Judge Bidois ordering a pre-sentence report with community detention and home detention appendices.

The starting point for such offending was prison, he said.

Ongoing name suppression will be revisited at sentencing.

Time to change

“Didn’t jail teach you anything,” Judge Bidois asked Darren Gage, who appeared on a charge of breaching a protection order.

The 37-year-old replied that it did. It taught him that he needed some mental health help and that his upbringing had a lot to do with his actions – and he should be getting help with it.

Having pleaded guilty to the charge and having written a letter of apology to the victim, Gage was sentenced to 120 hours' community work.

He was ordered to pay $200 emotional harm reparation and to pay for the damage to the glass door that he broke.

Judge Bidois highlighted to Gage that the violence, which had become normal in his life, would become normal in his son’s life, unless he stopped it.

“That’s up to you he said.”

He also stressed that while some people might say breaking the door was “just wilful damage”, it was traumatising for the victim, indicating that if you could damage “things”, you could do more.

“You don’t want to be a wife beater; you have the opportunity to change.”

‘Don’t let yourself down’ – judge

James Pukeroa has moved away from the negative influences of the city and is turning his life around, the court heard.

Pukeroa, 26, pleaded guilty to resisting police, refusing an officer’s request for blood, assaulting police and driving while disqualified.

Judge Bidois outlined how Pukeroa had been signalled to stop, but didn’t.

“When they did get you, you were on the wrong side of the road and had slurred speech.

“Then you went after the police and behaved in a pretty unsavoury way, assaulting and resisting.”

By refusing a blood test, his alcohol level could not be determined, so was considered to be at the highest level.

Judge Bidois congratulated Pukeroa on the changes he was making in his life and said with this offending, “you let yourself down”.

He sentenced him to 160 hours’ community work and disqualified him from driving for 28 days, after which time he must have an alcohol interlock device fitted to his vehicle

Community work stands

Tekaura Ngaheu’s reluctance to do his community work sentence because it exposed him to the negative influences of others was “the pot calling the kettle black”,” according to Judge Bidois.

Ngaheu appeared for review of a community work sentence alongside a charge of receiving.

The receiving related to Ngaheu’s decision to tow a vehicle he had seen sitting on the side of the road and thought was abandoned.

He was convicted and fined $800 plus court costs.

Judge Bidois cancelled his existing community work sentenced and reimposed 40 hours with a warning to do the community work, or go to prison.

With regard to being influenced by others, Judge Bidois said, “you have got to stand up for yourself”.

Section 94 granted

Judge Bidois granted James Baldwin a section 94 application, allowing him to do community work in lieu of a disqualification.

Baldwin appeared for sentenced for disqualified driving.

His lawyer described the offending as a “lapse in judgment”, saying he had consumed a few drinks and should not have been driving.

He was sentenced to 80 hours’ community work.

Drugs and theft charges

Cinnamon Jean Dewes was remanded in custody when she appeared on drugs and theft charges.

Dewes, 40, is charged with offering to supply methamphetamine and cannabis, supplying ecstacy, and conspiring with others to steal meat, groceries and cosmetics valued at more than $500 belonging to an unknown business.

She is also jointly charged with aggravated robbery.

She has yet to plead to any of the charges.